GLOUCESTER COUNCIL SHARES COMMUNITY CONCERNS ABOUT CARE FOR COMPANION ANIMALS

Gloucester Shire Council is concerned with the obvious level of public distress caused by recent media reports about the recent incident of euthanizing animals at Council’s quarry. Council’s Mayor Geoff Slack said that “when informed of the particulars of last week’s incident, Council made a decision to immediately abandon the procedure of euthanizing by shooting in favour of euthanizing by lethal injection through the local vet”. This practice has already been put in place.

Council is also concerned with the level of misinformation about this particular incident. The Mayor said that “the dogs were not stray dogs randomly collected by Council and shot at the local tip in front of members of the public. Council is seldom required to euthanize any animals, over the 12 months to June this year only a total of four dogs were put down”.

The particular incident that has caused the widespread community concern was initiated with NSW Police by a person entitled to act on behalf of the dogs. The Police requested Council to assist them in this matter. There were more than 30 dogs from a single farm property that were living in distressing circumstances. Council was requested to assist in removing and putting down a number of the dogs.

Since the decision to move to euthanizing by lethal injection, discussions have been held with the local vet to ensure that this practice can be implemented under clear procedures. A policy, procedures and information for the general public are currently in preparation.

The Mayor said that “the dogs were euthanized in Council’s quarry adjacent to the tip. No members of the public were present. Dogs were put down individually one by one, and not in front of each other. The dogs were then disposed of at the tip face. The incident was referred to the RSPCA and an officer has met with Council staff to discuss the details of what occurred. Council has provided two reports to the inspecting officer and we are awaiting their response on the matter”.

“It is important to understand that Council and the Gloucester community do care about dogs” the Mayor said. “Council is mindful of its responsibilities under the Companion Animals Act. We are a small community and most dogs are cared for and well-managed. Council does not run a pound like many other councils but contract this service through a local contractor who runs kennels on a local farm property. Dogs that are picked up are kept for 7 or 14 days, depending on whether they have been micro chipped and ownership details are available, as required under the Companion Animals Act. During this period reconnection to their owners or the finding of new owners is actively pursued by our contractor. Since the above incident five pups which were impounded have successfully found new homes”.

A report on this matter has been prepared for Council and is available on Council’s website from Friday, 13 July 2012.

3 responses to “media release Gloucester Council”

Well I only hope what I have just read is true….as Council’s have to take full responsibility for all the animals in their care….obviously these dogs had been found in a puppy farm or with irresponsible people who could not look after these dogs…..why were these people not held responsible & why were these dogs not put down humanely……I have been brought up to respect animals & to treat them with love & care….Gloucester Council it is your duty to make sure that this never happens again..

Not good enough. It’s the council and their representatives responsibility to be aware of such practices, and the open admission that they were not aware, demonstrates sheer incompetency, not only of the Mayor, but of any and all officials that form Gloucester Shire Council. Secondly, it is my opinion that killing one animal in this way is unacceptable, let alone more. It has very little to do with the inability to train staff and access drugs to humanely euthanize an animal, and more to do with laziness and lack of concern for animal welfare. You have demonstrated that you do, in fact, have the resources to access such drugs and a veterinarian, but until you came under fire by the public, whomever was responsible, quite simply, couldn’t be bothered to do so. And finally, you put such emphasis on the fact that only four dogs were “put down” (aka killed by a bullet to the head and dumped like rubbish at the tip), but when you add the 12 that were shot that day, by my calculations, makes 16 dogs in a 12 month period. That’s 16 too many. Had anyone bothered to do so much as a simple Google search before grabbing a gun and killing these poor animals, that rely on us as their voice, you would have discovered that any number of rescues would have bent over backwards to assist you in finding an alternative for these dogs fate, especially if you had made your intentions clear. So don’t sugar coat it, as it is an insult to our intelligence.

This is not just a one off incident.Don’t believe that it is because it isn’t true.Glouster Counci has been shooting an murdering unclaimed dogs and pets in general for a long time.This is not just a recent occurence.
Glouster Shire Council are lying about killing only 4 dogs in 12 months.
I happen to be well aware that it is many many many more!!!
12 dogs shot on the day the ranger was busted,plus 4 they admited to and at least 100 others.
Glouster Council also have a dreadful reputation for not trying to rehome pets.They don’t care less.To them they are just trash to kill.
Tell the truth Glouster Shire Council as you have been busted big time.
I can’t believe the moronic Mayors comment stating
“Dogs were put down individually one by one, and not in front of each other.”
Rubbish of course they saw one another shot and killed, as they were together in a vehicle at the tip site.Dogs aren’t stupid but Glouster Shire Council is and I advocate that all of those staff involved in this prolonged animal abuse have their employment immediately terminated. Also lets name and shame them!!